Record Support for Gay Marriage; Half See it as a Constitutional Right

Record numbers of Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll
support gay marriage, say adoption by gay couples should be legal and
see gays and lesbians as good parents. Most oppose a right to refuse
service to gays, including on religious grounds. And, by a closer
margin, more also accept than reject gay marriage as a constitutional
right.

The results continue a dramatic transformation of public attitudes on
the issue, led by political, legislative and court-ordered developments
alike. Seventeen states now allow gay marriage, and federal courts in
four others – most recently Texas and Virginia – have rejected laws
banning it.